welcome to nhk world "newsline." people living in parts of china know the air they've struggled to breathe lately has been bad, even hazardous. now, chinese authorities have enhanced their system to give citizens a better idea of just how bad things are and how they should do to respond. they've created a higher smog alert to track the serious air pollution that plagues the country. the amount of fine particulate matter in the air has been high

the last month across inland china. an increasing number of chinese are suffering from respiratory problems, so national meteorological center officials decided to add a third level to their two-level smog alert. the highest warning now advises people to stay indoors. >> translator: i can't stand it anymore. i want to leave this place. >> translator: it's the worst i've ever seen. the regime of old is gone forever. >> people have also turned to the chinese social networking site weibow to complain. some blame the government growth policies for causing the polution. others have expressed themselves in song. ♪ ♪

♪ >> china's air pollution is believed to be making its way to neighboring countries. this map shows the distribution of suspended particles. red and purple indicate the particle levels are high. chinese foreign ministry spokesperson hong le says they need to clean up the air. >> translator: relevant authorities are taking emergency measures. the government will make more positive efforts to regulate emissions and pollution. >> chinese premier wen jiabao has ordered that effective measures be introduced to slash emissions and prompted officials to reduce the number of public vehicle services and halt factory operations.

authority in eastern and inland provinces issued the new higher alert on wednesday, but their counterparts in beijing didn't. still, the heavy smog forced japanese schools in the chinese capital to cancel outdoor activities for the third straight day. chinese government ships have again entered japanese waters near the senkaku islands and the coast guard told them to leave. japan controls the eye loopeds but chain know and taiwan claim them h the top u.s. government official in japan spoke to nhk about the dispute. >> there should be no question that our security treaty applies to territories administered by japan, including the senkakus. >> the ambassador added that china is rapidly growing powerful and that building favorable relations with the country is important to the u.s. he noted that prime minister abe reaching out to china will hopefully lower the tensions. japan/china relations grew tense

last fall after the japanese government nationalized the senkaku islands. are. oss steps ared the obama administration intends to strengthen relations with japan >> the 21st century is going to be, already is the asia-pacific censure rained the cornerstone of our strategic relationship is with japan. investigators looking into the troubled boeing 787 dreamliner may you can wondering if they are looking at a pattern of faults. officials with all nippon airways have revealed that during the last eight months of 2012, they have changed the batteries in the boeing plane ten times because of irregularities.

the plane made an emergency landing and the batteries were found overheated and charged. the causes of the unusually high temperature in the batteries remains unknown. now they are focusing on surrounding systems including the battery charger and will return the unit on wednesday to its makers, secura plane technologies in the u.s. state of arizona. japanese and american inspectors plan to visit the company this week. it has been a long journey but south korea is now a member of the exclusive club of countries that claim successful space launches. they say for the first time, they have sent a satellite into orbit on a domestically built rocket. the rocket carrying the scientific satellite blasted off wednesday from a space center in the country's southwest. >> translator: our scientist and engineers successfully launched

the narrow rocket today it blasted off at 4 p.m. and 540 seconds later, sent its scientific satellite into orbit. >> the device will measure ion and radiation levels in space. the success of the tensely awaited launch sent jubilation across the country. south korean space official also been trying to send their own rocket into space with russian technical cooperation for the last 11 years. their two previous attempts ended in failure. analysts say north korea is likely to react sharply to the launch. the north launched what it called a satellite-carrying rock net december. the action drew international criticism amid charges it was a test of ballistic weapons technology. japan's judo federation is under fire for its win at all cost attitudes. the judo coach has apologized for acts of violence against

female wrestlers carried out by coaching staff. the incidents took place during practice sessions at an olympic training camp. 15 of japan's top female judo wrestlers sent a written complaint to the country's olympic committee in december. they said their coaches slapped them in the face and used other forms of physical abuse and power harassment at a training camp before last year's london olympics. the all-japan judo federation senior director, koshi onozawa, admitted the allegations and apologized at a news conference in tokyo on wednesday. he added that the federation has reprimanded the head coach and another male coach. the federation says the head coach was involved in a total of five violent incidents from august 2010 to february 2012. it says he admitted to hitting athletes who failed to follow his instructions and jabbing them with a stick. he reportedly said he did so because of an overwhelming desire to see them win. meanwhile, the japan olympic

committee, or joc, has said it required the federation to hold a fact-finding inquiry involving all wrestlers. >> translator: we haven't finished listening to all the wrestlers, so the problem is not solved. considering the wrestlers' feelings, we will do our best to find a solution. >> a sports commentator criticized the coach, saying the use of violence has no place in coaching. many japanese companies are releasing their earnings report this week. ntt docomo has suffered a decline in profit in the final three months of 2012. the leading japanese mobile phone carrier says because its subscribers have shifted toward operators with iphones. ntt docomo executives say sales

in the quarter rose by around $12.8 billion. that's up 9.6% in yen terms from a year ago. but operating profit fell 1.8% to $2.5 billion. profits in the nine months from april to december showed a 5.6% drop. the lower profit was due to the cost needed to attract customers and lower discounts and the company is losing out to competitors which offer the iphone. ntt docomo president said the number of subscribers rebounded in december after two gloomy months, but he expects the situation to remain harsh. things could be looking better for another japanese company. canon executives say a weaker yen will likely push up profits this year by more than a billion dollars. canon says sales fell 2.2% to $38 billion for the business year through last december,

compared to the previous year. the precision equipment maker's operating profit also dropped 14.3% to $3.6 billion. both sales and profits posted declines for two years running. canon executives say the stronger yen and tense relations between japan and china were the main reasons for the fallen earnings. they expect better results in 2013. they project annual sales to rise by 9%, to $42 billion and operating profit is likely to jump to $4.5 billion. that's largely due to the depreciation of the yen. the calculations are based on an exchange rate of 85 yen to the dollar and 115 yen to the euro. the japanese currency has been weaker than that lately, so this would be considered a cautious outlook.

executive vice president toshizo tanaka added he expects the global situation to improve later this year. >> translator: we hope that economic measures introduced by the u.s. and china will help fuel consumption in the latter half of the year. south korean export verse dramatically increased their global market share the recent years with you the tide seems to be turning. a search in the value of the yuan is one reason. >> reporter: weak yuan has provided a strong foundation for exporters but the good times may be coming to an end. is the won has risen against the yen 30% since last june. the currency is fluctuating between 1,100 to 1,200 per 100

yen. the won continued to rise against the dollar. last month, the korea automotive research institute released a report called the recent weakening of the yen and its effects on the car industry. th hyundai motor group is south korea's largest carmaker. the company ounce hyundai motor and kia motors and it's one of the main enginess of the south korean community n his new year's speech, the company chairman acknowledged the tough global economic situation, vowing to take the challenges ahead. acknowledged the tough global economic situation, vowing to take the challenges ahead. c acknowledged the tough global economic situation, vowing to take the challenges ahead. h acknowledged the tough global economic situation, vowing to take the challenges ahead. u acknowledged the tough global economic situation, vowing to take the challenges ahead. ng acknowledged the tough global economic situation, vowing to take the challenges

ahead. acknowledged the tough global economic situation, vowing to take the challenges ahead. m acknowledged the tough global economic situation, vowing to take the challenges ahead. o acknowledge the challengeo acknow the n acg ackn - acknowlek trav trav we have to boost our competitive edge by improving the quality of our cars. >> reporter: the rising won is not the only challenge for hyundai. workers have staged a series of strikes them demanded wage increases and improved working conditions. domestic production costs have soared as a result. one of hyundai's biggest korean plants is about 300 kilometers south of seoul. company managers and union leaders worked out a new deal in september after four months of negotiations. hyundai officials eliminated overnight shifts for the first time since the company's founding in 1967. >> translator: i think it's great because now i have time to do something for myself. i can probably be healthier because i can sleep at night. >> reporter: along with the elimination of overnight shifts, the firm is raising basic wages by 5.4%.

in addition, to make up for the reduced working hours, management will invest $300 million in better facilities. however, the labor disputes are still continuing. two union leaders have been staging a sit-in protest on an electricity pylon since october. >> translator: what we demand, as temporary workers, is that the company follow the court's decision and hire us as full-time employees. >> reporter: a research fellow at korea institute for industrial economic trade says labor management is one of the most pressing issues. >> translator: since overseas demand has grown a lot, factories are in full production.

but the relationship between workers and employers is hampering even greater production. >> reporter: south korea relies on exports for roughly half its gdp. its entire economy could stagnate if major exporters like hyundai lose their competitiveness due to a stronger won and labor disputes. president-elect park kuhn hay will face a difficult time steering the country. sue choi, nhk world, seoul. u.s. defense leaders are expanding their role in the region. they are establishing a presence in niger. pog press secretary george little says al qaeda poses a threat across the region.

he says they have not worked out details yet but u.s. media have reported that niger's leaders have given permission for a u.s. drone base in the country. >> this is a very important agreement and working with them to find out precisely what kind of military presence we might have in niger in the future. >> flying toer shares a border with am jeer ya. 37 foreign workers were killed there earlier this month. niger borders mali, where french and other forces are fighting islamist insurgents. the rebels took advantage of a military coup last year to take control of large parts of northern mali. people in another conflict zone are seeing more evidence of the cruelty of the war they've been enduring. the bodies of at least 65 men have been found in the northern syrian city of ahelp pope most of the victims were apparently

shot in the head. opposition fighters and anti-government forces are blaming each other for the atrocity. a syrian human rights activist says the victims were in their 20s and 30s and that some had their hands bound behind their backs. the activist says the body were found alongside the river in aleppo in a part the opposition forces control. they have been engaged in prolonged battles with the syrian military a senior government official told afp news agency the victims were supporters of president bash shard al assad and had kidnapped by terrorists. the human rights activists the militia supporting assad abducted the victims. an envoy warps the country is break up before everyone's eyes. the u.n. security council is urged to do something now

>> >> syria is being destroyed bit by pit. in destroying syria, the region is being pushed into a, you niece situation that is extremely bad and extremely important for the entire world. he wants the council to take concrete action to protect sovereignty in the rights of its people. the security council has been divide on this conflict. the united states and other we were country dees manneded that president assad step down. russia and china have close ties with his administration.country president assad step down. russia and china have close ties with his administration.weste ct president assad step down. russia and china have close ties with his administration.e count that president assad step down. russia and china have close ties with his administration.rne cou that president assad step down. russia and china have close ties with his administration. countr that president assad step down. russia and china have close ties with his administration.

gas street lights are an important part of the capital for over 200 years but this old tradition is facing a turning point. nhk world's correspondent has more. >> reporter: filming you the streets with a soft yellow light. their design is typical of the 19th century. the earliest models are nearly 200 years old. more than 40,000 units are still in use. >> translator: the atmosphere of gaslighting is fantastic. it is an essential part of berlin. >> translator: just seeing the lamps gives me peace. >> reporter: in the days of the cold war, west berlin was surrounded by east germany. updating the city's infrastructure was no easy task. and the old gas lamps survived.

however, something's changing. the tear-down of the lanterns has begun. last year, authorities began replacing the gaslights with electric models. one of the motives is an effort to cut costs. but the aging lamps are also prop to malfunctions. many stay lit during the day. city officials say the switchover will a slash costs by up to 90% per lamp and reduce carbon emissions. >> translator: gaslights are clearly outdated. technically speaking, they are

relics of the past. >> reporter: the decision sparked public protests. >> translator: removal work must be stopped. >> reporter: this man works as radiology technician. he organized one of the demonstrations. people formed a human chain around one of the removal sites. when the work began, protests are striked to interfere. >> translator: today's action proves successful. we managed to halt the removal work. >> reporter: the next day, he found the lamp had been replaced with an electric light pole.

pieces were scattered on the ground. he launched a petition to save the historic lamps. he gathered signatures from more than 20,000 people. >> translator: gaslights are small gems along the streets of berlin. i'll do whatever i need to protect them. >> reporter: berlin's gas lamps have long cast a warm light on its residents but the capital's push to achieve greater efficiency means it could soon be relegated to the pages of history. julia gaster, nhk world, berlin. as we have been saying, severe pollution is having an effect on northeast china. meteorologist robert speta is here with the forecast on when it will dissipate and the

weather for the rest of the world. robert? will dissipate and the weather >> well, gene, across much of the area, actually pollution is starting to slowly go down. the level there in beijing, gone from hazardous down to extreme. both of those words sound absolutely horrible. a slight improvement. expect improvement to persist going into the weekend. reason is, we have the winds starting to pick up from the west toward the east and another storm system will work its way through by the end of the week. but all with this, those aerosols will transport across korea and into japan. not nearly as bad as what you are going to be seeing here in japan and northeast china. but people with respiratory issues, could be affecting you. and going through thursday evening into friday, the sunset, you go outside, and see there will be an orange to a reddish tint. something to look out for, that's actually those aerosols in the air. but the next weather system as

it starts to approach from the west, bringing rainshowers, picking up these winds and eventually moving its way to korea, changing over to sleet and snow in the higher elevations and eventually working its way into japan on saturday, bringing heavy rainshowers with it, and a warmup in temperatures. seoul with 12, tokyo, 9. that's going to be getting into the higher teens, similar to what you would see in may by saturday. shanghai at 17 and then hong kong getting up to 20 here on your thursday. now, as we take a look over toward the americas, we have a severe weather system pushing through the mississippi river valley, rushing off toward the east. already has been widespread damage. sadly, one person reportedly reportedly killed in tennessee due to a tree falling down. and this severe weather is going to persist, already, tornadoes being reported. tornado threat slowly decreasing. but still will be lingering there across much of the southeast. winds kicking up and stronger storms to 112 kilometers per hour.

all due to that cold front, the surge of ware arm from the south, carrying moisture with it.me arm from the south, carrying moisture with i ae arm from the south, carrying moisture with iie arm from the south, carrying moisture with ire arm from the south, carrying moisture with i arm from the south, carrying moisture with iarm from the south, carrying moisture with irm from the south, carrying moisture with im from the south, carrying moisture with i from the south, carrying moisture with it. and now behind it, though, a big game changer setting up here. cold air spilling out of the arctic. that will be setting up some heavy snowfall across the great lakes region, dropping of the temperatures, minus 16 for your high. expecting to get colder into thursday and friday, chicago at 4. but look out ahead of that front, washington, d.c. and atlanta, well above average. that is going to be dropping off the minute that front passes by, so it will be warm now, but not lasting very long. now here into europe, we also are talking about a storm system lingering on the northern portion of the british isles. attached to that is a cold front moving through the countries. bringing heavy rainfall, and, and even into western part of the country. on its heels is yet another storm system though. as it does continue to push off here toward the east that is

going to bring in heavy rainfall, gusty winds. actually, that low pressure interacting here with the high to the south that is really going to be making these sustained winds, right around 40 to 60 kilometers per hour. so, really going to be rather destructive. as far as the temperatures though, london and paris, both a high of 11 and 10. madrid getting up here to 14. rome, some sunny skies for you you 16 for your high on your thursday. that's look at your world weather. stay safe out there, everyone.

we'll be back in 30 minutes with more news. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

from all of us here at nhk world, thanks very much for joining us. have a great day, wherever you are.